The Great Gatsby

Compiled by Mrs. D. Wittmann The Roaring Twenties Article by Mike Kubic Passage Summary: Mike Kubic’s article “The Roaring Twenties” explores the ups and downs of this exciting era and the events that led to the Great Depression. When and How to Pair: Pair “The Roaring Twenties” with The Great Gatsby and have students read this informational text before they begin the novel for background on the era and times that Nick Carraway is describing within the novel. Ask students, as they read, to take into consideration how the prosperous times shape the attitudes of the main characters in the novel. How are we defined by our prosperity? What are the types of things that we can learn from the past, and the Roaring Twenties, that can act as a caution for our present times? https://www.ted.com/talks/rod_phillips_what_happened_when_the_united_states_tried_to_ban_alcohol?language=en What happened when the United States tried to ban alcohol? On January 17, 1920, less than one hour after spirits had become illegal throughout the United States, armed men robbed a Chicago freight train and made off with thousands of dollars worth of whiskey. It was a first taste of the unintended consequences of Prohibition. So what exactly was Prohibition, and why did it happen? Rod Phillips investigates this chapter of American history. Directed by Gibbons Studio, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Fred Roux. 1920's SPEAKEASY A "Speakeasy", also called a "Blind Pig" or a "Blind Tiger", was a saloon or social club that illegally sold alcohol during Prohibition (1920 - 1933). The owners of these saloons, and the gangsters that supplied them with their stock, like the notorious Al Capone and his Chicago "Organization", were seen by the public as glamourous personalities. Speakeasies were also the first bars to encourage women to patronize them by offering music and entertainment, as well as fancy cocktails. F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1896 - 1940: Between Laurels September 24, 1896: Into a family that traces its ancestry to the author of "The Star Spangled Banner," Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is born in his parents' house on Laurel Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota. December 21, 1940: Fitzgerald dies of a heart attack. His final address: 1403 North Laurel Avenue, Los Angeles, California: http://www.pbs.org/kteh/amstorytellers/bios.html The Way Up Although Fitzgerald's father went bankrupt, Fitzgerald still played with the rich kids in town. This paradox would later inform his fiction. His awareness of his situation sharpened during his years at Princeton, where he studied from 1913 to 1917 until he accepted a commission from the U.S. Army. He never saw combat. During World War I, Fitzgerald was stationed near Montgomery, Alabama, where he began revising what became his first novel, This Side of Paradise (1920). There he also met the love of his life, Zelda Sayre, the charming, mercurial daughter of a judge. Fitzgerald's early literary successes soon made him and Zelda celebrities of the Jazz Age—a term he coined. During the 1920s, Zelda served as his editor, confidante, and rival. Their appetite for excess made them notorious in an age when excess was the norm. The Fitzgeralds moved to France in 1924 with their young daughter, Frances (nicknamed Scottie), where they fell among a group of American expatriate artists whom the writer Gertrude Stein christened the Lost Generation. In 1925 publisher Charles Scribner's Sons came out with Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, which has become his most enduring work. The Way Down Fitzgerald would not publish another novel for nine years. In 1932, Zelda suffered a breakdown from which she never fully recovered. She spent most of her remaining days in mental institutions. Fitzgerald sold stories to The Saturday Evening Post and Esquire to keep financially afloat. Implicitly acknowledging his wife's mental illness and his own alcoholism, he drew on their life abroad in the novel Tender Is the Night (1934). Fitzgerald relocated to Hollywood in 1937 to write screenplays. His sole screen credit from this period is for the film Three Comrades (1938). It joins his other script credit, Pusher-in-the-Face (1929), from an earlier California stint. Eventually Fitzgerald began sustained work on his novel The Last Tycoon (1941). Tragically, his end came before the book's did. Several chapters shy of finishing, Fitzgerald died of a heart attack in the apartment of his Hollywood companion, columnist Sheilah Graham, while eating a chocolate bar and listening to Beethoven's Eroica symphony. AGREE or DISAGREE Social hierarchy is a natural and necessary part of a functioning society. In some cases, infidelity in relationships is acceptable. The American Dream is corrupted by the desire for wealth. Attainment of a dream is often less satisfying than the pursuit of it. It is better to earn wealth than to be born into it. In American society, it is more advantageous to be attractive than educated. Annotating a Text: Read Actively Reading actively helps you get to know the text better, how it makes its meaning and affects, understand its inner workings, and builds a relationship with that text. 1. Emotional sparks (immediate responses) 2. Figurative Language, Tone, Diction, Syntax, Imagery 3. Pattern and Repetitions (motifs) 4. Turns and Shifts (narration, dialogue) 5. Genre (textual features) 6. Allusions and Connections 7. Questions and Difficulties BIG IDEAS AND ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS CHARACTER Characters in literature allow readers to study and explore a range of values, beliefs, assumptions, biases, and cultural norms represented by those characters. SETTING Setting and the details associated with it not only depict a time and place, but also convey values associated with that setting. STRUCTURE The arrangement of the parts and sections of a text, the relationship of the parts to each other, and the sequence in which the text reveals information are all structural choices made by a writer that contribute to the reader’s interpretation of a text. NARRATION A narrator’s or speaker’s perspective controls the details and emphases that affect how readers experience and interpret a text. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE Comparisons, representations, and associations shift meaning from the literal to the figurative and invite readers to interpret a text. LITERARY ARGUMENTATION Readers establish and communicate their interpretations of literature through arguments supported by textual evidence. Minds On "or oft, when on my couch I lie  In vacant or in pensive mood,  They flash upon that inward eye" (Wordsworth 19-21) Think back to an event that has left an indelible mark on your memory. In your mind, retell that event. CHAPTER ACTIVITIES Chapter One: Who’s Who? Who’s Where? (map colouring) Chapter Two: Figurative Language Chapter Three: Gatsby's parties Chapter Four: Allusions and flashbacks Chapter Five: Found Poetry Chapter Six: Platonic Conception – reinvent yourself Chapter Seven: The Plaza Hotel – dramatization Chapter Eight: Tracking George / The Holy Grail Chapter Nine: General Resolves (childhood book) / Minor Characters identity prejudice infidelity ambition friendship inequality time acceptance loss of innocence morality carelessness honesty Seminar: Thematic Concepts 3. Individually, create a mind map illustrating your thematic concept. Place the word in the centre of your mind map. Submit. 2. Individually, track your thematic concept throughout the novel. 5. As a group, prepare a seminar presentation following the 18-slide layout provided. 6. Submit your group Google doc and Google slides to the D2L Assignments Dropbox. 1. As a group, select a thematic concept. 4. As a group, create a thematic statement (theme). Your Individual Mind Map What Creates a Story's Theme? 1. Start at the centre of a blank, landscape page, ideally with a colourful image with your thematic concept inside the image. 2. Use single key words radiating out from the image. Examples: Characters, Thoughts, Conversations, Actions, Effects, Looks, Symbols, Motifs, Structure, Setting, Conflict, Narration, Events, Choices 3. Use words and images 4. Add colour 5. Make connections 6. Make branches of different lengths and thickness BIG IDEAS AND ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS LITERARY ARGUMENTATION Readers establish and communicate their interpretations of literature through arguments supported by textual evidence. The Great Gatsby Lesson One The author’s life can inform and expand the reader’s understanding of a novel. Fitzgerald’s Minnesota childhood and New York adventures underlie events in Nick’s and Gatsby’s lives. As a child, Fitzgerald liked to imagine he was from British royalty and had been abandoned on his parents’ doorstep. A weak student, Fitzgerald was sent to boarding school. His parents hoped that this education would improve his prospects. Like the characters in the novel, Fitzgerald took a train from his Midwest home in St. Paul, Minnesota, to New York City. Many of his short stories explore the effects that a physical departure from the Midwest may have on a person. And while we more fully understand this novel as we learn about the author, the artistry of the novel does not succeed or fail based on the author’s life. The novel—a work of art—has an internal structure independent of the author’s personality. Hwk. Read Chapter 1 DETAILS Authors choose to include or exclude specific details for specific reasons. The best writers never include insignificant details. Ask yourself 1. Which details are the most surprising or memorable? What makes them so? 2. Which details are mundane or insignificant? What makes them so? (Is this feeling of banality intentional?) 3. About which subjects does the author include the most detail, and why? 4. Which subjects does he choose NOT to describe in detail, and why? Are there any details that are conspicuously missing? 5. How do the author’s other choices (diction and syntax, for example) relate to his choice of details? How do they affect his presentation of these simple facts? 6. How does the inclusion or omission of details contribute to the author’s tone toward specific subjects? How does it contribute to his creation of a mood in the audience? How does it contribute to his overall purpose in the piece? The Great Gatsby Time line The Retrospective Narrative as told by Nick Carraway in first-person Between the Years 1890 - 1924 Years of Special Significance 1890 1907 1917 1922 - most of the story is set in the summer of '22 1924 - the story begins here (told in retrospect) BIG IDEAS AND ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS STRUCTURE The arrangement of the parts and sections of a text, the relationship of the parts to each other, and the sequence in which the text reveals information are all structural choices made by a writer that contribute to the reader’s interpretation of a text. Epigraphs are like little appetizers to the great entrée of a story. They illuminate important aspects of the story, and they get us headed in the right direction. What, you've never heard of Thomas Parke D'Invilliers? That's because Fitzgerald made him up. This is breaking the normal rules of epigraphs, which usually use someone else's words and not the author's. On top of that, this fictional Thomas made an appearance in another one of Fitzgerald's novels as a typical college intellectual in This Side of Paradise, so basically, we get an idea of Fitzgerald's trickiness and perhaps literary hubris before the story even begins. Chapter One Activity Who's who? Complete a four-square: FRONT BACK Nick Carraway Myrtle Wilson Daisy Buchanan George Wilson Tom Buchanan Catherine Jordan Baker Meyer Wolfshiem On a separate sheet of paper, track the journey of Jay Gatsby. Who's where? Label and colour the handout (front and back). Other Characters to Track Dan Cody Ewing Klipspringer Owl Eyes Henry C. Gatz Michaelis Mr. and Mrs. McKee Pammy Buchanan Sloane and his woman friend BIG IDEAS AND ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS CHARACTER Characters in literature allow readers to study and explore a range of values, beliefs, assumptions, biases, and cultural norms represented by those characters. The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald that follows a cast of characters living in the fictional town of West Egg on prosperous Long Island in the summer of 1922. BIG IDEAS AND ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS SETTING Setting and the details associated with it not only depict a time and place, but also convey values associated with that setting. NICK CARRAWAY "In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” He didn’t say any more, but we’ve always been unusually communicative in a reserved way, and I understood that he meant a great deal more than that. In consequence, I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bores." (1). "Instead of being the warm centre of the world, the Middle West now seemed like the ragged edge of the universe — so I decided to go East and learn the bond business. Everybody I knew was in the bond business, so I supposed it could support one more single man. All my aunts and uncles talked it over as if they were choosing a prep school for me, and finally said, “Why — ye — es,” with very grave, hesitant faces. Father agreed to finance me for a year, and after various delays I came East, permanently, I thought, in the spring of twenty-two" (3). How the Story is Being Told The story is being told through the eyes of Nick Carraway in retrospect as a "first-person observer." He narrates the events of the summer of 1922, as he reconstructs them two years later (1924). Nick is a character in the story - both as an observer and a participant - he is inside the story he is narrating. How does this effect our understanding? EXAMINE: Who is Nick Carraway? What does he reveal about himself in this memoir? Is he reliable? BIG IDEAS AND ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS NARRATION A narrator’s or speaker’s perspective controls the details and emphases that affect how readers experience and interpret a text. "Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction — Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away" (2). JAY GATSBY TOM BUCHANAN “He had changed since his New Haven years. Now he was a sturdy straw-haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward. Not even the effeminate swank of his riding clothes could hide the enormous power of that body — he seemed to fill those glistening boots until he strained the top lacing, and you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat. It was a body capable of enormous leverage — a cruel body. His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed. There was a touch of paternal contempt in it, even toward people he liked — and there were men at New Haven who had hated his guts” (7). Synonymia From Gk. syn, "alike" and onoma, "name" In general, the use of several synonyms together to amplify or explain a given subject or term. A kind of repetition that adds emotional force or intellectual clarity. Synonymia often occurs in parallel fashion. My time here is limited, short, and running out. There is no foretelling, predicting or calculating the future. All that we know is that it will be. You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things! How does Fitzgerald characterize Tom Buchanan? Look at how Fitzgerald uses syntax. Note the type of sentences he tends to write (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex). Note the length of the sentences. Look at how Fitzgerald uses diction. Look up the words “supercilious” and “fractiousness.” Find a pattern in the diction . Look at how Fitzgerald selects details. What does he choose to describe? Is there a certain order to his description? YOUR TURN: Write a 1 -2 paragraph description (150 words) of a fictional character of your choice. DO NOT include the name of the character in your description. Can we infer who the character is by how s/he is described? I.e. Spiderman, Mickey Mouse, Napoleon Dynamite, Bugs Bunny, Jimmy Neutron… TWO WOMEN ON A COUCH "We walked through a high hallway into a bright rosy-colored space, fragilely bound into the house by French windows at either end. The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside that seemed to grow a little way into the house. A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in at one end and out the other like pale flags, twisting them up toward the frosted wedding-cake of the ceiling, and then rippled over the wine-colored rug, making a shadow on it as wind does on the sea. The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon. They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house. I must have stood for a few moments listening to the whip and snap of the curtains and the groan of a picture on the wall. Then there was a boom as Tom Buchanan shut the rear windows and the caught wind died out about the room and the curtains and rugs and the two young women ballooned slowly to the floor" (7-8). DAISY BUCHANAN "I looked back at my cousin, who began to ask me questions in her low, thrilling voice. It was the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down, as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again. Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth, but there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget: a singing compulsion, a whispered “Listen,” a promise that she had done gay, exciting things just a while since and that there were gay, exciting things hovering in the next hour. I told her how I had stopped off in Chicago for a day on my way East, and how a dozen people had sent their love through me. 'Do they miss me?' she cried ecstatically. 'The whole town is desolate. All the cars have the left rear wheel painted black as a mourning wreath, and there’s a persistent wail all night along the north shore.' 'How gorgeous! Let’s go back, Tom. To-morrow!' Then she added irrelevantly: 'You ought to see the baby.' 'I’d like to.' 'She’s asleep. She’s three years old. Haven’t you ever seen her?' 'Never' " (9-10). JORDAN BAKER "I looked at Miss Baker, wondering what it was she “got done.” I enjoyed looking at her. She was a slender, small-breasted girl, with an erect carriage, which she accentuated by throwing her body backward at the shoulders like a young cadet. Her gray sun-strained eyes looked back at me with polite reciprocal curiosity out of a wan, charming, discontented face. It occurred to me now that I had seen her, or a picture of her, somewhere before" (11). 'Oh — you’re Jordan Baker.' I knew now why her face was familiar — its pleasing contemptuous expression had looked out at me from many rotogravure pictures of the sporting life at Asheville and Hot Springs and Palm Beach. I had heard some story of her too, a critical, unpleasant story, but what it was I had forgotten long ago" (18). SYMBOLISM NOTE A character, an action, a setting, or an object representing something else can be a symbol. Most often, the symbol in a story is an object that represents its owner’s character or situation, or both. Something that on the surface is its literal self (CONCRETE) but which also has another meaning (ABSTRACT) or even several meanings. A literary symbol gains its meaning from the context of a literary work and often changes as the work develops. Symbolism is used to convey deeper meanings than the words themselves would otherwise because of the larger context and connections they can convey. It encourages the reader to read deeper layers of meaning into the poem. Character: Tom Buchanan Action: "-he stretched out his arms toward the dark water "(20). Setting: East Egg Object: book The Rise of the Colored Empire (12). SYMBOL CATEGORIES Universal or cultural symbols embody ideas and emotions that writers and readers share: snake as temptation and evil, water as life and sexuality, egg as rebirth, night as death, etc.  Contextual symbols are those made by the author within individual works; there is no carry-over to other works. How does a symbol carry weight? Provide an example. SYMBOLS IN CHAPTER ONE Mid West West Egg East Egg colours (ie. white) The Rise of the Colored Empire (book) telephone single green light TASK: Explain the symbolism Fitzgerald's mention of the book by "this man Goddard" was a thinly veiled nod to Lothrop Stoddard's The Rising Tide of Color Against White World-Supremacy, which had been published in 1920. The book included a series of foldout maps warning that "colored migration is a universal peril, menacing every part of the white world." The Great Gatsby Lesson Two The Great Gatsby is set in the mid-1920s, a prosperous time at home and abroad. The United States had joined World War I in 1917, three years after its eruption. The 1919 Peace of Paris established accord between nations that ended the war. Many considered American intervention to be decisive, leading to an Allied victory. Prohibition at home led to a growing world of organized crime as the sale of alcohol went underground. Even the 1919 World Series was affected as members of the White Sox (the team favored to win) were convinced to “throw” the series, creating larger profits for those gambling against the Sox. In Harlem, the northern migration of African Americans created an artistic expansion of literature, music, plays, political tracts, and visual art. And around the country, technology produced new opportunities for Americans, including radio, motion pictures, automobiles, and electric appliances. Hwk. Read Chapter 2 Chapter Two Minds on ... 1. What do you dream about? 2. Are your dreams achievable? 3. What can you do to help make your dreams come true? Poverty And Riches Who with a little cannot be content, Endures an everlasting punishment. 1. Comment on this two-line poem written by Robert Herrick. Is there truth to the speaker's message? THE VALLEY OF ASHES "About half way between West Egg and New York the motor road hastily joins the railroad and runs beside it for a quarter of a mile, so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land. This is a valley of ashes — a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. Occasionally a line of gray cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak, and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-gray men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud, which screens their obscure operations from your sight. But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic — their irises are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose. Evidently some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice in the borough of Queens, and then sank down himself into eternal blindness, or forgot them and moved away. But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days, under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground" (23). Excerpt Analysis: The Valley of Ashes (23) 1. How is personification used in the first sentence? 2. What are the connotations of the phrase "valley of ashes"? 3. What is the effect of the alliterative "fantastic farm" and the fact that this area is even called a farm? 4. What is the effect of the simile in the second sentence? Why would Fitzgerald choose this particular thing with which to compare the ashes? 5. What is the effect of the polysyndeton? 6. How are the "men" portrayed in this paragraph? 7. What colour predominates in this paragraph? 8. What is Fitzgerald implying about men by the use of the verb "swarm'? 9. What two totally opposite things is Fitzgerald contrasting in this paragraph? How does this contrast help develop one of the main thematic concepts of this novel? BIG IDEAS AND ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE Comparisons, representations, and associations shift meaning from the literal to the figurative and invite readers to interpret a text. GEORGE WILSON "The interior was unprosperous and bare; the only car visible was the dust-covered wreck of a Ford which crouched in a dim corner. It had occurred to me that this shadow of a garage must be a blind, and that sumptuous and romantic apartments were concealed overhead, when the proprietor himself appeared in the door of an office, wiping his hands on a piece of waste. He was a blond, spiritless man, anaemic, and faintly handsome. When he saw us a damp gleam of hope sprang into his light blue eyes" (25). She smiled slowly and, walking through her husband as if he were a ghost, shook hands with Tom, looking him flush in the eye. Then she wet her lips, and without turning around spoke to her husband in a soft, coarse voice: 'Get some chairs, why don’t you, so somebody can sit down.' 'Oh, sure,' agreed Wilson hurriedly, and went toward the little office, mingling immediately with the cement color of the walls. A white ashen dust veiled his dark suit and his pale hair as it veiled everything in the vicinity — except his wife, who moved close to Tom" (26). MYRTLE WILSON Then I heard footsteps on a stairs, and in a moment the thickish figure of a woman blocked out the light from the office door. She was in the middle thirties, and faintly stout, but she carried her surplus flesh sensuously as some women can. Her face, above a spotted dress of dark blue crepe-de-chine, contained no facet or gleam of beauty, but there was an immediately perceptible vitality about her as if the nerves of her body were continually smouldering. She smiled slowly and, walking through her husband as if he were a ghost, shook hands with Tom, looking him flush in the eye. Then she wet her lips, and without turning around spoke to her husband in a soft, coarse voice: 'Get some chairs, why don’t you, so somebody can sit down.' 'Terrible place, isn’t it,' said Tom, exchanging a frown with Doctor Eckleburg. 'Awful.”' 'It does her good to get away.' 'Doesn’t her husband object?”' 'Wilson? He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York. He’s so dumb he doesn’t know he’s alive ' "(26). 158th Street "The apartment was on the top floor — a small living-room, a small dining-room, a small bedroom, and a bath. The living-room was crowded to the doors with a set of tapestried furniture entirely too large for it, so that to move about was to stumble continually over scenes of ladies swinging in the gardens of Versailles. The only picture was an over-enlarged photograph, apparently a hen sitting on a blurred rock. Looked at from a distance, however, the hen resolved itself into a bonnet, and the countenance of a stout old lady beamed down into the room. Several old copies of Town Tattle lay on the table together with a copy of Simon Called Peter, and some of the small scandal magazines of Broadway. Mrs. Wilson was first concerned with the dog. A reluctant elevator-boy went for a box full of straw and some milk, to which he added on his own initiative a tin of large, hard dog-biscuits — one of which decomposed apathetically in the saucer of milk all afternoon. Meanwhile Tom brought out a bottle of whiskey from a locked bureau door" (29). CATHERINE "The sister, Catherine, was a slender, worldly girl of about thirty, with a solid, sticky bob of red hair, and a complexion powdered milky white. Her eye-brows had been plucked and then drawn on again at a more rakish angle, but the efforts of nature toward the restoration of the old alignment gave a blurred air to her face. When she moved about there was an incessant clicking as innumerable pottery bracelets jingled up and down upon her arms. She came in with such a proprietary haste, and looked around so possessively at the furniture that I wondered if she lived here. But when I asked her she laughed immoderately, repeated my question aloud, and told me she lived with a girl friend at a hotel" (30). ANALYZING SETTING Many plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Contrast the valley of ashes and the New York apartment: 1. Explain how the places differ. 2. Explain what each place symbolizes. 3. Explain how their contrast contributes to several thematic concepts. ANALYZING A SCENE "Some time toward midnight Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face discussing, in impassioned voices, whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy’s name. 'Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!' shouted Mrs. Wilson. 'I’ll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai ——' Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand. Then there were bloody towels upon the bath-room floor, and women’s voices scolding, and high over the confusion a long broken wail of pain" (37). Do not make the mistake of moralizing. By moralizing, I mean getting caught up in whether a character should or should not have done something - the character is not real. It is a vessel which propels certain concerns, themes, or ideas, forward. QUESTION: What is being communicated through this scene? Keeping up with the Joneses Passage Summary: The phrase “keeping up with the Joneses” describes the habit of trying to compete with your peers’ social status, wealth, and possessions. This article explores our systems of status and class, and why there exists this pressure of social competition. When and How to Pair: Pair The Great Gatsby: Chapter Two with “Keeping Up with The Joneses” and ask students to consider the conversation that takes place in the New York apartment. How are the conversations rooted in ideas of social status, wealth and possessions? Ask students to discuss how social status plays a role in their lives. SYMBOLS IN CHAPTER TWO Valley of Ashes Eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg (billboard) dog whiskey TASK: Explain the symbolism The Great Gatsby is a story that takes on the intensity of a poem (1925). It is the American equivalent of "The Waste Land", a postwar vision of England by T. S. Elliot (1922). Comparing The Great Gatsby and "The Waste Land" Reread the opening to Chapter 2 alongside the opening of "The Waste Land" (Pre-AP PAIRINGS). Some points to consider: • Eliot’s epigraph, from the Satyricon of Petronius, is spoken by a character named Trimalchio, who was famous for throwing wild parties. Trimalchio is, in many ways, a forerunner of Gatsby — the novel was first entitled Trimalchio in West Egg. • The imagery of the ‘dumping ground’, with its greyness and ash (Fitzgerald) and the dryness, stones and shadows (Eliot). • The way Fitzgerald calls the valley of ashes ‘a waste land’. • The advertisement of the eyes of T. J. Eckleburg — is the name reminiscent of T. S. Eliot? What vision might these eyes offer? The Great Gatsby Lesson Three First-person narration wraps the reader into the perspective of the main character, as this person tells us, first-hand,about his or her experiences.This person uses the first-person “I” to draw us through her or his adventures. A first-person narrator is almost always personally invested in how the drama unfolds. Third-person narration uses “he” or “she” to tell the story, while removed from the drama. Third-person narration establishes a greater distance between narrator and audience and relates events as an outside observer. Since this outside observer does not appear to participate in or affect the events of the story, the narrator objectively relays dramatic events. An omniscient third-person narrator knows the thoughts and movements of every character. The Great Gatsby is told in the first person by Nick Carraway. The novel begins from the point of view of an older Nick, reminiscing on the events of one summer. Nick’s perspective, entangled in the dramatic action, subjectively depicts a series of events. Hwk. Read Chapter 3 Chapter Three Activity Pre-reading: 1. What is your view of gossip? 2. List the dangers and appeal of gossip. http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/have-you-heard-gossip-is-actually-good-and-useful/382430/ Post Reading: Describe an event that enthralled or enchanted you. Use details to create the atmosphere you experienced. Prices Now and Then http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2013/08/great-gatsby-cost-of-living QUIZ on Chapters 1, 2, and 3 I have a strict policy. I will not and do not publicize unsubstantiated rumors about anyone -- unless they're very funny. JIMMY KIMMEL, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, November 2, 2011 Serious misfortunes, originating in misrepresentation, frequently flow and spread before they can be dissipated by truth. GEORGE WASHINGTON, letter to John Jay, May 8, 1796 There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about. OSCAR WILDE, The Picture of Dorian Gray GOSSIP "Well, they say he's a nephew or a cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm's" (33). Track the the rumours and innuendos regarding Jay Gatsby. GATSBY'S PARTIES "There was music from my neighbor’s house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars. At high tide in the afternoon I watched his guests diving from the tower of his raft, or taking the sun on the hot sand of his beach while his two motor-boats slit the waters of the Sound, drawing aquaplanes over cataracts of foam. On week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city between nine in the morning and long past midnight, while his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains. And on Mondays eight servants, including an extra gardener, toiled all day with mops and scrubbing-brushes and hammers and garden-shears, repairing the ravages of the night before" (39). OWL EYES "A stout, middle-aged man, with enormous owl-eyed spectacles, was sitting somewhat drunk on the edge of a great table, staring with unsteady concentration at the shelves of books. As we entered he wheeled excitedly around and examined Jordan from head to foot. “What do you think?” he demanded impetuously. “About what?” He waved his hand toward the book-shelves. “About that. As a matter of fact you needn’t bother to ascertain. I ascertained. They’re real.” “The books?” He nodded. “Absolutely real — have pages and everything. I thought they’d be a nice durable cardboard. Matter of fact, they’re absolutely real. Pages and — Here! Lemme show you.” Taking our scepticism for granted, he rushed to the bookcases and returned with Volume One of the “Stoddard Lectures.” “See!” he cried triumphantly. “It’s a bona-fide piece of printed matter. It fooled me. This fella’s a regular Belasco. It’s a triumph. What thoroughness! What realism! Knew when to stop, too — didn’t cut the pages. But what do you want? What do you expect?” (45). THEY MEET At a lull in the entertainment the man looked at me and smiled. “Your face is familiar,” he said, politely. “Weren’t you in the Third Division during the war?” “Why, yes. I was in the Ninth Machine-gun Battalion.” “I was in the Seventh Infantry until June nineteen-eighteen. I knew I’d seen you somewhere before.” We talked for a moment about some wet, gray little villages in France. Evidently he lived in this vicinity, for he told me that he had just bought a hydroplane, and was going to try it out in the morning. “Want to go with me, old sport? Just near the shore along the Sound.” “What time?” “Any time that suits you best.” It was on the tip of my tongue to ask his name when Jordan looked around and smiled. “Having a gay time now?” she inquired. “Much better.” I turned again to my new acquaintance. “This is an unusual party for me. I haven’t even seen the host. I live over there ——” I waved my hand at the invisible hedge in the distance, “and this man Gatsby sent over his chauffeur with an invitation.” For a moment he looked at me as if he failed to understand. “I’m Gatsby,” he said suddenly. “What!” I exclaimed. “Oh, I beg your pardon.” “I thought you knew, old sport. I’m afraid I’m not a very good host" (47). JAY GATSBY He smiled understandingly — much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced — or seemed to face — the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey. Precisely at that point it vanished — and I was looking at an elegant young rough-neck, a year or two over thirty, whose elaborate formality of speech just missed being absurd. Some time before he introduced himself I’d got a strong impression that he was picking his words with care" (47-48). The Great Gatsby Lesson Four The main character in a work of literature is called the “protagonist.” The protagonist often overcomes a weakness or difficulties to achieve a new understanding by the work’s end. A protagonist who acts with great courage and strength may be called a “hero.” Alternatively, a protagonist of dubious tenacity and questionable virtue is an “antihero.” The protagonist’s journey is made more dramatic by challenges presented by characters with different beliefs or perspectives. A “foil” provokes or challenges the protagonist so as to more clearly highlight certain features of the main character. The most important foil, the “antagonist,” opposes the protagonist barring or complicating his or her success. Hwk. Read Chapter 4 Chapter Four Activity At the start of Chapter Four, Nick informs the reader that he keeps a list of names of the people. "who accept Gatsby's hospitality" because the names "will give you a better impression the than my generations" of the people who come to Gatsby's parties. 1. Working in pairs, take turns reading the list to each other. 2. Write your impressions after you hear the list. 3. List the general characteristics of "types" of people who come to the parties. 4. Why do all these people attend? GATSBY'S CAR "I’d seen it. Everybody had seen it. It was a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes, and terraced with a labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns. Sitting down behind many layers of glass in a sort of green leather conservatory, we started to town" (64). TASK: Explain the significance of colour in this excerpt. THE CAR RIDE "And then came that disconcerting ride. We hadn’t reached West Egg village before Gatsby began leaving his elegant sentences unfinished and slapping himself indecisively on the knee of his caramel-colored suit. “Look here, old sport,” he broke out surprisingly. “What’s your opinion of me, anyhow?” A little overwhelmed, I began the generalized evasions which that question deserves. “Well, I’m going to tell you something about my life,” he interrupted. “I don’t want you to get a wrong idea of me from all these stories you hear.” So he was aware of the bizarre accusations that flavored conversation in his halls" (65). TASK: What is learned about Gatsby - from the man himself? Can you separate fact from fiction? Meyer Wolfsheim (aka Arnold Rothstein) and the 1919 Black Sox Scandal MEYER WOLFSHEIM “A small, flat-nosed Jew raised his large head and regarded me with two fine growths of hair which luxuriated in either nostril. After a moment I discovered his tiny eyes in the half-darkness" (69). “The old Metropole,” brooded Mr. Wolfsheim gloomily. “Filled with faces dead and gone. Filled with friends gone now forever. I can’t forget so long as I live the night they shot Rosy Rosenthal there (70). He paused. “I see you’re looking at my cuff buttons.” I hadn’t been looking at them, but I did now. They were composed of oddly familiar pieces of ivory. “Finest specimens of human molars,” he informed me. “Well!” I inspected them. “That’s a very interesting idea" (72). “Meyer Wolfsheim? No, he’s a gambler.” Gatsby hesitated, then added coolly: “He’s the man who fixed the World’s Series back in 1919" (73). SHIFT IN NARRATION "One October day in nineteen-seventeen —— (said Jordan Baker that afternoon, sitting up very straight on a straight chair in the tea-garden at the Plaza Hotel) — I was walking along from one place to another, half on the sidewalks and half on the lawns. I was happier on the lawns because I had on shoes from England with rubber nobs on the soles that bit into the soft ground. I had on a new plaid skirt also that blew a little in the wind, and whenever this happened the red, white, and blue banners in front of all the houses stretched out stiff and said tut-tut-tut-tut, in a disapproving way" (74). TASK: What is learned from Jordan Baker? Why the shift in narrative voice? CAR ACCIDENTS "Half a dozen fingers pointed at the amputated wheel — he stared at it for a moment, and then looked upward as though he suspected that it had dropped from the sky. “It came off,” some one explained ... “Wonder’ff tell me where there’s a gas’line station?” ... “Back out,” he suggested after a moment. “Put her in reverse.” “But the wheel’s off!" (55). "That was in August. A week after I left Santa Barbara Tom ran into a wagon on the Ventura road one night, and ripped a front wheel off his car. The girl who was with him got into the papers, too, because her arm was broken — she was one of the chambermaids in the Santa Barbara Hotel." (77). TASK: 1. Fitzgerald often reintroduces apparently insignificant elements later in the novella. What is the purpose of the above repetition? Identify the importance of each of the following: Bootlegger July 5, 1922 Ewing Klipspringer Oxford (Oggsford - dialect) Gorgeous car Middle West Daisy Fay (at 18) Jordan Baker (at 16) First Lieutenant Major Montenegro Camp Taylor Santa Barbara Plaza Hotel Meyer Wolfsheim Old Metropole October 1917 The Letter The Great Gatsby Lesson Five Writers commonly use stylistic devices. Such tools allow readers to visualize events, whether through an unexpected image, an idea, or an observation. Some common examples of figurative language are image, simile, and metaphor. Use these terms to identify the novel’s figurative language to expand the meaning of the novel. Image: a vivid representation or description Simile: a comparison between two things using like, as or than Metaphor: when two unrelated things are compared so as to underscore their similarities. Hwk. Read Chapter 5 “I’ll tell you a family secret,”she whispered enthusiastically.“It’s about the butler’s nose. Do you want to hear about the butler’s nose?” “That’s why I came over to-night.” “Well, he wasn’t always a butler; he used to be the silver polisher for some people in New York that had a silver service for two hundred people. He had to polish it from morning till night, until finally it began to affect his nose——” “Things went from bad to worse,”suggested Miss Baker (13). “Are you in love with me,”she said low in my ear,“or why did I have to come alone?” “That’s the secret of Castle Rackrent. Tell your chauffeur to go far away and spend an hour.” “Come back in an hour, Ferdie.”Then in a grave murmur:“His name is Ferdie.” “Does the gasoline affect his nose?” “I don’t think so,”she said innocently.“Why?” We went in. To my overwhelming surprise the living-room was deserted" (85).  TASKS: 1. Fitzgerald often reintroduces apparently insignificant elements later in the novella. What is the purpose of the above repetition? 2. Fitzgerald's reference to "Castle Rackrent" refers to a novel written by Maria Edgeworth. Explain this allusion. How is it also a metaphor? FOUND POETRY Found poetry is the literary version of a collage. Poets select a source text or texts — anything from traditional texts like books, magazines and newspapers to more nontraditional sources like product packaging, junk mail or court transcripts — then excerpt words and phrases from the text(s) to create a new piece. 1. After reading the chapter, look for words and phrases that catch your eye, or seem to contradict each other if you take them out of context. Look for repeated words and see what the chapter is trying to emphasize. 2. Select words and phrases from the text, and begin to arrange them of your own page. Try to keep them in sequential order, even if you are leaving out pages in between. 3. The poem itself should include NO MORE than TWO of your own words. The rest of the words must come from Chapter Five. Total number of lines: 10 - 14 4. Look for poetic interest in these words. Look for ways to arrange them to point out contrasting ideas or contradictions. Look for the images they provide. Select phrases that unintentionally rhyme, if you choose. 5. Remember, that in a poem, every word, space, and mark of punctuation carries meaning, so have fun experimenting with line breaks, repetition of words, alliteration, assonance, shape or anything else that enhances what you would like to say. 6. The resulting arrangement of these words is your “Found Poem.” Give your poem a title. 7. Submit a polished copy when complete (paper will be provided). "When I came home to West Egg that night I was afraid for a moment that my house was on fire. Two o’clock and the whole corner of the peninsula was blazing with light, which fell unreal on the shrubbery and made thin elongating glints upon the roadside wires. Turning a corner, I saw that it was Gatsby’s house, lit from tower to cellar. At first I thought it was another party, a wild rout that had resolved itself into “hide-and-go-seek” or “sardines-in-the-box” with all the house thrown open to the game. But there wasn’t a sound. Only wind in the trees, which blew the wires and made the lights go off and on again as if the house had winked into the darkness. As my taxi groaned away I saw Gatsby walking toward me across his lawn. “Your place looks like the World’s Fair,” I said" (81). Gatsby’s House West Egg fire blazing with light unreal thin elongating glints tower to cellar “hide-and-go-seek” “sardines-in-the-box” Winked World’s Fair But there wasn’t a sound The Great Gatsby Lesson Six F. Scott Fitzgerald uses images and characters to stand for something above and beyond what they represent at first sight. These symbols have special importance, like interpretive keys to the text. As a form of figurative language, symbols can maintain our fascination by hinting beyond the literal, drawing us into the story, and asking us to explore the author’s intentions. Frequently, study of the specific characteristics of the symbol will shed light on the entire story. Hwk. Read Chapter 6 Read the following quotation from Chapter Six: "I suppose he’d had the name ready for a long time, even then. His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people — his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all. The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God — a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that — and he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end" (98). TASK: Who is Jay Gatsby? Describe his upbringing. How did his life change at age 17? How does this compare to what Jay told Nick in Chapter IV? (Go back and read your answer for Slide 63). Make a two intersecting-circle Venn diagram. DAN CODY is ... Fitzgerald's Creation of Two Men Daniel Boone (1734 - 1820) Daniel Boone is one of the most famous frontiersmen in U.S. history. He was a skilled hunter, trapper, and trailblazer. During the early days of westward expansion, Boone’s explorations helped open the frontier to new settlements. In 1799, he led his family and other settlers across the Mississippi. The Mississippi River runs south from northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico and is considered the chief river in North America's largest drainage system. AND... William F. Cody (1846 - 1917) "Buffalo Bill" William Frederick Cody, known as Buffalo Bill, was a buffalo hunter, U.S. army scout, and an Indian fighter. But he is probably best known as the man who gave the Wild West its name. He produced a colorful show called Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World, which had an international reputation and helped create a lasting image of the American West. Buffalo Bill was a major contributor in the creation of the myth of the American West, as seen in Hollywood movies and television.   PLATO http://www.biography.com/people/plato-9442588 Ancient Greek philosopher Plato founded the Academy and is the author of philosophical works of unparalleled influence in Western thought. “All the gold which is under or upon the earth is not enough to give in exchange for virtue.” —Plato Synopsis Born circa 428 B.C.E., ancient Greek philosopher Plato was a student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle. His writings explored justice, beauty and equality, and also contained discussions in aesthetics, political philosophy, theology, cosmology, epistemology and the philosophy of language. Plato founded the Academy in Athens, one of the first institutions of higher learning in the Western world. He died in Athens circa 348 B.C.E. RE-INVENTING YOURSELF Nick begins the story of Gatsby's past by saying that Gatsby "sprang from his Platonic conception of himself," which refers to that his ideal form. That is, the Platonic form of an object is the perfect form of that object. Therefore, Nick is suggesting that Gatsby has modeled himself on an idealized version of "Jay Gatsby": he is striving to be the man he envisions in his fondest dreams of himself. Norma Jean Baker as a teenager Re-invented as Marilyn Monroe Vanilla Ice Rapper, singer, songwriter, athlete, and actor. Born Robert Van Winkle on October 31, 1967 (some sources say 1968), in Miami, Florida. Boxer, philanthropist and social activist Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. Find another real-life example of someone who has reinvented themselves. Clearly explain the reinvention and the motivation behind the change. "Advice from a Caterpillar" by Amy Gerstler Chew your way into a new world. Munch leaves. Molt. Rest. Molt again. Self-reinvention is everything. Spin many nests. Cultivate stinging bristles. Don’t get sentimental about your discarded skins. Grow quickly. Develop a yen for nettles. Alternate crumpling and climbing. Rely on your antennae. Sequester poisons in your body for use at a later date. When threatened, emit foul odors in self-defense. Behave cryptically to confuse predators: change colors, spit, or feign death. If all else fails, taste terrible. Making Connections: Pairings Topic Sentence: State the two connections (structure, storyline, foreshadowing, flashback, suspense, irony, characters, conflict (internal, external), setting, thematic concepts and themes, point of view, symbols, tone) Point One: In the poem ... Evidence: Quote from the poem (in-text reference) Explanation: Connect to Chapter Six Point Two: In the poem ... Evidence: Quote from the poem (in-text reference) Explanation: Connect to Chapter Six Concluding Sentence: Effective Statement The Great Gatsby Lesson Seven Novels often trace the development of characters as they encounter a series of challenges and conflicts throughout the story. While the story follows the protagonist, we also follow the development of other supporting characters. While character development can be provoked by outside forces, changes can also be brought about internally with thoughts and emotions as the main figures search to overcome fears, realize dreams, or discover their identity. The protagonist often undergoes a profound change of heart, and his or her shortcomings may affect the manner in which he or she is able to respond to certain tests. Most characters contain a complex balance of strengths and weaknesses. The tension between a character’s strengths and weaknesses keeps the reader guessing about what might happen next, affecting the drama of the plot. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald explores characters in relation to their landscape, their wealth, and their prior relationships. The more we know about these characters, the more their lives shift from idyllic islands of wealth to colorless portraits floating through a “valley of ashes” with “grotesque gardens.” In this lesson, examine Fitzgerald’s ability to present characters in both their ideal and real countenances. Chapter Seven Activity The Director's Chair On the hottest day of the summer A suite at the Plaza Hotel near Central Park It's HOT! BENVOLIO (Romeo and Juliet) "I pray thee, good Mercutio, let’s retire. The day is hot, the Capels are abroad, And if we meet we shall not scape a brawl, For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring" (3.1.1-4). CONDUCTOR (The Great Gatsby) “Hot!” said the conductor to familiar faces. “Some weather! hot! hot! hot! Is it hot enough for you? Is it hot? Is it.. .?” (115).   THE SWITCH “Shall we all go in my car?” suggested Gatsby. He felt the hot, green leather of the seat. “I ought to have left it in the shade.” “Is it standard shift?” demanded Tom. “Yes.” “Well, you take my coupe and let me drive your car to town.” The suggestion was distasteful to Gatsby. “I don’t think there’s much gas,” he objected. “Plenty of gas,” said Tom boisterously. He looked at the gauge. “And if it runs out I can stop at a drug-store. You can buy anything at a drug-store nowadays" (120-121). “You two start on home, Daisy,” said Tom. “In Mr. Gatsby’s car" (135). "By the next autumn she was gay again, gay as ever. She had a debut after the Armistice, and in February she was presumably engaged to a man from New Orleans. In June she married Tom Buchanan of Chicago, with more pomp and circumstance than Louisville ever knew before" (75). Note: The Armistice of 11 November 1918. “It was in nineteen-nineteen, I only stayed five months. That’s why I can’t really call myself an Oxford man.” Tom glanced around to see if we mirrored his unbelief. But we were all looking at Gatsby. “It was an opportunity they gave to some of the officers after the Armistice,” he continued. “We could go to any of the universities in England or France” (129). " 'I’ll tell you God’s truth.' His right hand suddenly ordered divine retribution to stand by. 'I am the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West — all dead now. I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford, because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years. It is a family tradition.' He looked at me sideways — and I knew why Jordan Baker had believed he was lying. He hurried the phrase “educated at Oxford,” or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him before. And with this doubt, his whole statement fell to pieces, and I wondered if there wasn’t something a little sinister about him, after all" (65). TASK: Fitzgerald often reintroduces apparently insignificant elements later in the novella. What is the purpose of the above repetition? Nobody from Nowhere “I’m going to make a big request of you to-day,” he said, pocketing his souvenirs with satisfaction, “so I thought you ought to know something about me. I didn’t want you to think I was just some nobody. You see, I usually find myself among strangers because I drift here and there trying to forget the sad thing that happened to me" (67). “Self-control!” Repeated Tom incredulously. “I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. Well, if that’s the idea you can count me out. . . . Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions, and next they’ll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white" (130). "I glanced at Daisy, who was staring terrified between Gatsby and her husband, and at Jordan, who had begun to balance an invisible but absorbing object on the tip of her chin (see page 8). Then I turned back to Gatsby — and was startled at his expression. He looked — and this is said in all contempt for the babbled slander of his garden — as if he had “killed a man.” For a moment the set of his face could be described in just that fantastic way. It passed, and he began to talk excitedly to Daisy, denying everything, defending his name against accusations that had not been made. But with every word she was drawing further and further into herself, so he gave that up, and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily, undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the room" (134). THE CLIMAX QUOTATION ANALYSIS Q1. UNDERSTANDING: Describe the circumstances surrounding the quotation. Include who, what, where, and when. Q2. LANGUAGE: Analysis of effect (how) Select TWO elements of style from the quotation and explain their effect or function. INTEGRATE key words or phrases from the quotation in your answer. You may consider such elements as tone, diction, syntax, figurative language, and imagery. Q3. EXTENDING: Analysis of meaning (why) In a well-argued paragraph, explain how the EXCERPT reveals a theme in the novella. You may consider such elements as characters, thoughts, conversations, actions, effects, looks, symbols, motifs, structure, setting, conflict, narration, events, and choices. Helpful Prompts (Text page 134) A1. In this excerpt, Nick Carraway is narrating. At this point in the novel ... A2. F. Scott Fitzgerald employs repetition and personification to magnify Gatsby's reaction to Tom's interrogation. A3. The loss of a dream can be shattering. This theme is first revealed ... The Great Gatsby Lesson Eight The Great Gatsby has a remarkable structure. Chapters 5 and 7 provide the emotional center of the drama: when Gatsby reunites with Daisy, when Nick experiences a grand foreboding, and when Daisy’s voice becomes a “deathless song” (101). Some chapters exhibit parallels. Chapters 2 and 8 are physically violent turning points, with grotesque landscapes, dust, and ashes. The novel begins with Nick’s arrival to Long Island and his memories of his father’s words. Nick wants “the world to be…at a sort of moral attention forever” (2). The novel ends with an encounter with Gatsby’s father and Nick’s realization: “I see now that this has been a story of the West after all…perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life” (176). "It was this night that he told me the strange story of his youth with Dan Cody — told it to me because “Jay Gatsby” had broken up like glass against Tom’s hard malice, and the long secret extravaganza was played out. I think that he would have acknowledged anything now, without reserve, but he wanted to talk about Daisy" (148). The Great Gatsby as a Grail Quest If we are going to explore The Great Gatsby as a Grail Quest, one of the first tasks would be to identify the Grail Knight. Fortunately, Fitzgerald has done all of the heavy lifting for us when he tells us that Gatsby found that he had committed himself to the following of a grail (149). It could not be clearer. Also, we know that the glasses in which champagne served at Gatsby’s parties was likened to large finger bowls (51). These finger bowls symbolize this same Grail that Gatsby followed. This is Fitzgerald’s way of telling the reader how Gatsby pursued this Grail. The parties, like all of Gatsby’s possessions, were a means of obtaining Daisy and everything that entailed. http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/mythical/grail.html The Legend of the Holy Grail: Chapter Eight The legend of the Holy Grail is one of the most enduring in Western European literature and art. The Grail was said to be the cup of the Last Supper and at the Crucifixion to have received blood flowing from Christ's side. It was brought to Britain by Joseph of Arimathea, where it lay hidden for centuries. The search for the vessel became the principal quest of the knights of King Arthur. It was believed to be kept in a mysterious castle surrounded by a wasteland and guarded by a custodian called the Fisher King, who suffered from a wound that would not heal. His recovery and the renewal of the blighted lands depended upon the successful completion of the quest. Equally, the self-realisation of the questing knight was assured by finding the Grail. The magical properties attributed to the Holy Grail have been plausibly traced to the magic vessels of Celtic myth that satisfied the tastes and needs of all who ate and drank from them. In 1961, W.H. Auden wrote an article called “The Quest Hero.” While it largely dealt with The Lord Of The Ring, its standards may be used to meter Gatsby as a legitimate Quest hero. Auden listed the following components as elements of a Quest legend: A cherished Object or Person to be obtained. A long Journey that takes a long time to complete. A worthy Hero. A Test to demonstrate worthiness. The Guardians of the Object who must be overcome. The Helpers of the hero. The Great Gatsby meets all of these benchmarks, and can be considered a matter of Quest lore. Daisy is the cherished person to be obtained, although she is not the Grail. Gatsby’s journey took him from Louisville to the European theatre of the Great War, and to Oxford. Eventually Gatsby ends up in Chicago only to move to New York. Here he works for Meyer Wolfshiem bootlegging grain alcohol, and in three years he has the money to buy his mansion on West Egg. All of this in four and half years. Gatsby’s worthiness comes about by no other means than his wealth, for that is all he needs to win Daisy. The tour of his mansion after the tea party is the test, and he passes with literally flying colors (his shirts). Tom is the Guardian to be overcome, while Nick and Jordan are the helpers who aid in arranging the tea party and its reunion. “I want to get one of those dogs,” she said earnestly. “I want to get one for the apartment. They’re nice to have — a dog" (26). "Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand" (33). "About three o’clock the quality of Wilson’s incoherent muttering changed — he grew quieter and began to talk about the yellow car. He announced that he had a way of finding out whom the yellow car belonged to, and then he blurted out that a couple of months ago his wife had come from the city with her face bruised and her nose swollen" (156). Michaelis opened the drawer nearest his hand. There was nothing in it but a small, expensive dog-leash, made of leather and braided silver. It was apparently new. “This?” he inquired, holding it up. Wilson stared and nodded. "I found it yesterday afternoon. She tried to tell me about it, but I knew it was something funny' ”(158). TASK: Fitzgerald often reintroduces apparently insignificant elements later in the novella. Explain the significance of the dog, the yellow car, the bruised face, and the dog-leash. THE EYES OF GOD "Wilson’s glazed eyes turned out to the ashheaps, where small gray clouds took on fantastic shape and scurried here and there in the faint dawn wind. “I spoke to her,” he muttered, after a long silence. “I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God. I took her to the window.”— with an effort he got up and walked to the rear window and leaned with his face pressed against it ——” and I said ‘God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!’” Standing behind him, Michaelis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, which had just emerged, pale and enormous, from the dissolving night. “God sees everything,” repeated Wilson. “That’s an advertisement,” Michaelis assured him. Something made him turn away from the window and look back into the room. But Wilson stood there a long time, his face close to the window pane, nodding into the twilight" (159). Holocaust Holocaust (pronounced HOL-oh-kost) is a word we sometimes see in the headlines, yet it is not one that many of us find in our speaking vocabularies. Originally a holocaust was a sacrificial burnt offering to pagan gods in pre-Christian times. It is derived from the Greek words holos (whole) and kaustos (burnt). Nowadays it is generally used to mean slaughter and destruction on a very wide scale, especially by fire, as in the sentence: "All London was a holocaust after the bombers left." Not to be confused with the "Holocaust" Chapter Nine He opened it at the back cover and turned it around for me to see. On the last fly-leaf was printed the word Schedule, and the date September 12, 1906, and underneath: Rise from bed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.00 a.m. Dumbbell exercise and wall-scaling. . . . .. 6.15-6.30 Study electricity, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . 7.15-8.15 Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.30-4.30 p.m. Baseball and sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.30-5.00 Practice elocution, poise and how to attain it 5.00-6.00 Study needed inventions. . . . . . . . . . . 7.00-9.00 General Resolves No wasting time at Shafters or [a name, indecipherable] No more smokeing or chewing Bath every other day Read one improving book or magazine per week Save $5.00 {crossed out} $3.00 per week Be better to parents A SINGLE GREEN LIGHT "I decided to call to him. Miss Baker had mentioned him at dinner, and that would do for an introduction. But I didn’t call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone — he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward — and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness" (20-21). The ending of F. Scott Fitzgerald’sThe Great Gatsby is one of literature’s finest and most memorable — rich with symbolism and beautifully lyrical, evoking a profound and complex blend of nostalgia, admiration, ambivalence, wonder, empathy, sadness, and hope. The last paragraph (known as a coda) of the novel — certainly a contender for the Great American Novel — ends with one of the most perfectly written sentences, mesmerizing and meaningful, and through its consonance, rolls trippingly off the tongue: “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine morning— So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (180). This is, of course, one of the most quoted closing lines in literature. Fitzgerald brilliantly expresses the paradox of personal growth through a compelling boat metaphor (rowing against the current) using beautiful alliterative language: as we attempt to move forward to realize our dreams, we are defined and therefore restricted by our past because it defines who we are. In other words, we struggle to move forward, while at the same time, we struggle to let go of our past — and for most people, just like Gatsby, it is impossible to let go of the past. These final lines capture both the hope that the future can be better than the past, (“tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther . . .”), and the difficulty of ever-moving beyond the past. Include eye-witness reports and times: "there were boys who had seen a man “acting sort of crazy,” (160). “He came to the door while we were getting ready to leave, " (178). Chapter Eight-nine Activity Trace George's movements: "His movements ..." (160). Include the missing three hours: "He stared at me ..." (178). Unraveling the Plot Exposition: page 98 Inciting Incident: page 149 Rising Action: page 95 Climax: page 134 Falling Action: page 137 Resolution: page 167 Denouement: page 2 FIND THE LINES Analysis of the Text What is the purpose of the text? How does it achieve its purpose? Who is the target audience? Create an audience profile. Why is it interesting? BIG IDEAS AND ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS CHARACTER Characters in literature allow readers to study and explore a range of values, beliefs, assumptions, biases, and cultural norms represented by those characters. SETTING Setting and the details associated with it not only depict a time and place, but also convey values associated with that setting. STRUCTURE The arrangement of the parts and sections of a text, the relationship of the parts to each other, and the sequence in which the text reveals information are all structural choices made by a writer that contribute to the reader’s interpretation of a text. NARRATION A narrator’s or speaker’s perspective controls the details and emphases that affect how readers experience and interpret a text. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE Comparisons, representations, and associations shift meaning from the literal to the figurative and invite readers to interpret a text. LITERARY ARGUMENTATION Readers establish and communicate their interpretations of literature through arguments supported by textual evidence. The title begs the question, Is Gatsby great? Time to weigh in! "Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction — No — Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men" (2). In your opinion ... Which person had the greatest impact on the life of Jimmy Gatz? Prove it! Provide 2 -3 reasons with evidence from the text. a. Dan Cody, a product of the Nevada silver fields or b. Daisy Fay, a débutante from Louisville or c. Meyer Wolfsheim, a gambler involved in organized crime Answer: In my opinion, I believe that ______________ had the greatest impact on the life of Jimmy Gatz. This is because ... Gatsby is someone who has truly dedicated himself to a dream - to a beautiful woman with a deep, thrilling voice. 1. Tell me whether you like the character of Jay Gatsby and support your opinion. 2. In your opinion, what is greatness in terms of achievement? Explain your thoughts. 3. What do you suppose or imagine the demands of greatness might be? 4. Do you think Gatsby’s dream is a worthy one? Explain. 5. Regardless of your opinion in response to #4, what can you say about the pursuit of his dream? (the quest for the grail). Daisy Fay Buchanan: The Siren Voice On the one hand, Daisy's voice is for Nick a "wild tonic in the rain" (86), a source of "warm human magic" (109), an elusive temptation rivaled only by Gatsby's smile. On the other hand, Nick's relationship to Daisy's voice is repeatedly subject to hesitation and doubt. The more completely Daisy's voice enchants him, the more intense is his eventual disappointment and mistrust. TASK: Daisy's voice is a focus in the book. Explain why her voice has been described as the voice of a siren? Find three descriptions of her voice. Include the page number with each description. Siren Song by Margaret Atwood This is the one song everyone would like to learn: the song that is irresistible: the song that forces men to leap overboard in squadrons even though they see the beached skulls the song nobody knows because anyone who has heard it is dead, and the others can't remember. Shall I tell you the secret and if I do, will you get me out of this bird suit? I don't enjoy it here squatting on this island looking picturesque and mythical with these two feathery maniacs, I don't enjoy singing this trio, fatal and valuable. I will tell the secret to you, to you, only to you. Come closer. This song is a cry for help: Help me! Only you, only you can, you are unique at last. Alas it is a boring song but it works every time. PAIRINGS: Identify and explain TWO connections between this poem and The Great Gatsby. Write with precision, clarity, and analysis. Making Connections: Pairings Topic Sentence: State the two connections (structure, storyline, foreshadowing, flashback, suspense, irony, characters, conflict (internal, external), setting, thematic concepts and themes, point of view, symbols, tone) Point One: In the poem ... Evidence: Quote from the poem (in-text reference) Explanation: Connect to the novella Point Two: In the poem ... Evidence: Quote from the poem (in-text reference) Explanation: Connect to the novella Concluding Sentence: Effective Statement Nick Carraway as Narrator in The Great Gatsby Critics interested in the role of Nick Carraway as narrator in The Great Gatsby may be divided into two rather broad groups. The majority position is the traditional one: Nick is considered quite reliable, basically honest, and ultimately changed by his contact with Gatsby. A variation of this interpretation has Carraway stumbling to his conclusion, thereby accounting for a number of discrepancies in his narration; in short, Nick progresses from innocence to experience before finally locating a moral vision. Against this position may be found a small number of critics who hold that Nick is quite unreliable: a sentimentalist at least, and possibly dishonest and immoral. Hence, The Great Gatsby is either a deceptively tricky novel, or one that is artistically flawed in both character and structure. Both camps seem to agree on one point: the character of Gatsby remains static throughout the book; at the end he is still waiting for Daisy's telephone call, clutching, as it were, to his quixotic* dream. The critical controversy merits a brief return to the text as our final understanding of Gatsby is almost entirely dependent upon the reliability of Carraway's narration. *exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/IFR/article/viewFile/13548/14631 What a Piece of Work is Man In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Hamlet remarks "what a piece of work is man" (2.2.303). He contrasts ideas about man - on the one hand, being the most noble of God's creations with an enormous potential for GOOD, and on the other hand, man has the same capacity for manipulation, bloodshed, and EVIL. 1. What are your thoughts about this commentary on humanity? 2. Where do you see this concept in relation to The Great Gatsby? 3. Where do you see this in relation to the 21st century? The Importance of Minor Characters What would the Wizard of Oz be without the wizard?  Sure, you don't actually see the wizard (Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!) until the end, but the whole journey of Dororthy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and Toto is to meet the wonderful Wizard of Oz. But really, he is a minor character.  What about Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol? He actually is only mentioned a handful of times and only appears twice - once to utter his famous line, "God bless us everyone!" He, too, is a minor character. But the impact he has on the story is huge.  Minor characters can do lots of things for our novels - they can reveal information, give us background, or set the mood. They can also be integral to the plot, to our main character's development, and in the revelation of theme. Look at how the snotty saleswomen in Pretty Woman affected Julia Roberts' character. They were VERY minor characters, yet they made a big impact on her. 1. Which minor characters make a reappearance in this chapter? Is anyone introduced for the first time? 2. Explain the purpose of each character.   COLOUR Among the symbols Fitzgerald employed in the novel The Great Gatsby, colours have made a deep impression on readers because they run through the whole novel and contain a deep layer meaning wherever they occur. There are six main colours appearing frequently in the novel: green, white, blue, grey, red, and yellow. They make the novel more vivid, more colourful, more dreamlike, more visionary and more profound. Make notes on the following two slides. No matter in the Oriental culture or in the Western culture, GREEN is the colour of spring, which symbolizes confidence, vitality and hope. In The Great Gatsby, the green colour runs throughout the whole novel, and it is closely related to Gatsby’s short life. It symbolizes Gatsby’s original dream and hope, his ceaseless pursuit of his dream and even the corruption of his dream and life. WHITE occurs many times in the novel, and it is closely associated with Daisy. White represents the immaculate and pure beauty. It symbolizes nobleness and purity. BLUE represents tranquility, melancholy, loneliness and fantasy. If the yellow colour is the colour to show Gatsby’s outer self, the blue colour, which is full of sadness and fantasy, indicates Gatsby’s real inner self - lonely, sorrowful, and fanciful. Grey is the basic colour tone that rules the whole novel. It symbolizes decadence, bleakness, corruption and disillusionment and represents moral decay, spiritual emptiness and death. RED is associated with blood, so it is the symbol of violence, danger, and rage. Nick has bought a dozen books on finance, which is red and gold standing on his shelf. The gold colour of these books represents money. While the gold is associated with red here, it means that the worship and obtain of money is closely associated with blood and violence in that age. Throughout the novel, it can be seen that the most common colour accompanying with Gatsby is YELLOW. With this colour, the author skillfully implies what kind of outer self that Gatsby intends to show before others. Yellow is the colour of gold, which symbolizes money, materialism and high social position. In Western culture, the yellow colour is the colour that the aristocratic class uses to decorate themselves, so it represents wealth and noble identity as well as the gaiety and communication. Motifs in Literature Sometimes, examples of motif are mistakenly identified as examples of symbols. Symbols are images, ideas, sounds, or words that represent something else, and help to understand an idea or a thing. Motifs, on the other hand, are images, ideas, sounds, or words that help to explain the central idea of a literary work – the theme. Moreover, a symbol may appear once or twice in a literary work, whereas a motif is a recurring element. Motifs strengthen a story by adding images and ideas to the theme present throughout the narrative. The word motif (pronounced moh-teef) is derived from the French phrase motif meaning “pattern.” Find examples of the motifs on the following slides. WEATHER AND SEASONS TIME PARTIES CAR ACCIDENTS The Great Gatsby Lesson Nine The themes of a novel are the ideas and questions raised by the story that help the reader and the characters explore the meaning of human life. Themes are often developed from big topics such as love, war, freedom, responsibility, justice, and truth. The novel raises important questions about these issues: Do we have a responsibility to help other human beings? How do we know what the truth of another person's experience really is? The difficulty of answering these questions holds the reader's attention throughout the novel. Characters often undergo some kind of change or development in response to these thematic dilemmas, and the resolution of the plot often hinges on the outcome of thematic questions. Sylvia Plath’s annotated copy of The Great Gatsby Published in 1949 by Grosset & Dunlap as an inexpensive hardcover, this edition of The Great Gatsby was probably used by Plath in her studies either in high school or college. According to biographer Steven Gould Axelrod, Plath wrote essays on Fitzgerald while attending Smith College from 1950 to 1955. The volume bears her bookplate and includes many underlines and annotations in manuscript on 13 pages. She used two colors of ink, which would suggest multiple readings and/or classroom notes. Like many students Plath underlined the first appearance of major characters. She also noted passages with vivid descriptions, as one would expect from a poet. Some of her annotations may have been at the direction of a lecturer. She underlined Jordan Baker’s description of Gatsby’s galas:“I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy”(60) and wrote“Good”in the margin. Next to a paragraph in which Nick presents the names and detailed descriptions of Gatsby’s party guests, Plath wrote“‘Solidarity of Specification’”[her quotes] (74). She wrote“Flamboyant romantic”next to the paragraph in which Nick recognizes Gatsby in an Oxford photograph and subsequently believes in the glories of his past:“Then it was all true. I saw the skins of tigers flaming in his palace on the Grand Canal; I saw him opening a chest of rubies to ease, with their crimson-lighted depths, the gnawings of his broken heart”(80). Plath underlined Daisy’s famous prediction for her daughter:“And I hope she’ll be a foolòthat’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”(21). Beside the following paragraph containing Daisy’s line“I’ve been everywhere and seen everything and done everything”Plath wrote“L’Ennui.”Plath also titled two of her early poems“Ennui.” Some of her comments relate directly to the action. Near the end of the novel, Plath wrote“Tom responsible for Gatsby’s death”(215) next to Nick’s final confrontation with Daisy’s husband. Indicating that she may have read the novel more than once, Plath also described events in the margin that had not yet occurred in the text. At the beginning of Chapter VII Nick endures a sweltering train ride from New York to West Egg. Plath underlined all the images relating to the temperature and wrote“oppressive heat”(136) in the margin. Next to the paragraph containing the line:“That anyone should care in this heat whose flushed lips he kissed, whose head made damp the pajama pocket over his heart!”(137), Plath commented“3 deaths/blood in dustò/Gatsby in pool,/Wilson kills self.”Plath would have had to know the novel’s conclusion to connect Nick’s hot commute with Myrtle’s later murder along the same hot, dusty road. Some of Plath’s annotations go beyond mere plot description or classroom notes. She commented heavily on the scene that dramatizes Daisy’s relationship with her daughter Pammy. When the small girl tells her mother that she got dressed early, Daisy answers“‘That’s because I wanted to show you off.’”(140). Plath drew a line beside Daisy’s response and wrote“stage property”in the margin. When Pammy asks“‘Where’s Daddy?’”(140) Daisy ignores her and explains instead to Gatsby,“She doesn’t look like her father.”Plath underlined Daisy’s next sentence,“She looks like me.”In the margin Plath wrote“No real relation to the child.”In one of her most famous poems,“Daddy”(1962), Plath would angrily examine a parent’s objectification of a child. In one comment Plath expresses herself through metaphor. At the end of Chapter VII, after the murder of Tom’s mistress, Nick sees the Buchanan's through their kitchen window speaking intimately, almost“conspiring together”(175). Nick leaves, passing Gatsby in the driveway. Plath underlined the final sentence in the chapter“So I walked away and left him standing there in the moonlight ò watching over nothing.”In the margin underneath Plath wrote“knight waiting outside ò dragon goes to bed with princess”(175). With this note Plath’s annotation rises from mundane commentary to incisive interpretation. Many of Plath’s later poems employ fairy-tale allusions, usually with the inverted imagery she employs here. The volume represents a fascinating piece of evidence of Fitzgerald’s rising reputation and influence in the early 1950s, as well as the academic background and tastes of a major American poet. Many more associations could be made between the images and passages Plath cites and her later poetry. This book presents the possibilities for later scholars to explore. Although Sylvia Plath and F. Scott Fitzgerald rarely inhabit the same sentence, their association should not appear strained. A young, intense poet would naturally be drawn to the lyric quality of Fitzgerald’s prose. Plath’s appreciation of The Great Gatsby would remain conjecture were it not proven by the physical evidence of this particular copy. In Search of the American Dream James Truslow Adams coined the term “the American Dream” In his 1931 book, The Epic of America, writer and historian James Truslow Adams defines the American Dream as the “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” Truslow emphasizes that the American Dream does not represent a quest for wealth or material abundance, but rather a vision for self-actualization and personal fulfillment. He writes, it “is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position." http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2007/06/in-search-of-the-american-dream/305921/ DICTION In all forms of literature--nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and drama—authors choose particular words to convey effect and meaning to the reader. Writers employ diction, or word choice, to communicate ideas and impressions, to evoke emotions, and to convey their views of truth to the reader. Analysis of Diction: Use LEAD to analyze how an author’s word choices convey effect and meaning in a literary work. Low or informal diction (dialect, slang, jargon) Elevated language or formal diction Abstract (language that denotes ideas, emotions, conditions, or concepts that are intangible) and concrete diction (specific words that describe physical qualities or conditions) Denotation (the exact, literal definition of a word) and connotation (implicit meaning of a word) When analyzing diction, look for specific words or short phrases that seem stronger than the others (ex.Bragg’s use of slingshot instead of travel ). Diction is NEVER the entire sentence. Also, look for a pattern (or similarity) in the words the writer chooses (ex. Do the words imply sadness,happiness, etc?). This pattern helps to create a particular kind of diction. This pattern can also include repetition of the same words or phrases. Repeating the same word or phrase helps the reader emphasize a point, feeling, etc. Effective diction is shaped by words that are clear, concrete, and exact. Good writers avoid words like pretty, nice, and bad because they are not specific enough. Instead, they rely on words that invoke a specific effect in order to bring the reader into the event being described. Repetition of Words " - that voice was a deathless song" (96) "he came to us dead broke" (134) "dead dream" (134) "drove on toward death" (136) "death car" (137) TASK: What other words or phrases does Fitzgerald often repeat? Explain the impact. The Effective Use of Language Basic Meaning Author’s Choice Effect arrogant supercilious empty desolate lazy languid pride hauteur loud strident walk saunter Note: Begin with negative or positive - look at tone and meaning How is the reader manipulated? The purpose? Diction, an element of style, refers to the words writers use to express ideas. Words convey more than exact, literal meanings, in which case they "connote" or suggest additional meanings and values not expressed in general dictionary definitions. Examples of Great Diction irrecoverable football game burning gardens her low, thrilling voice “Hulking,” insisted Daisy valley of ashes winking ferociously infinitesimal hesitation tense gaiety continually smouldering like an ectoplasm on the wall inexhaustible variety of life artificial laughter turkeys bewitched to a dark gold abstracted expression exhilarating ripple of her voice clear artificial note pure dull gold The words seemed to bite physically broken up like glass against Tom’s hard malice her artificial world They’re a rotten crowd the holocaust was complete The Romantic/Byronic Hero The Romantic hero is a literary archetype referring to a character that rejects established norms and conventions, has been rejected by society, and has the self as the center of his or her own existence. The Romantic hero is often the protagonist in the literary work and there is a primary focus on the character's thoughts rather than his or her actions. The Romantic hero is often "placed outside the structure of civilization and therefore represents the force of physical nature, amoral or ruthless, yet with a sense of power, and often leadership, that society has impoverished itself by rejecting". Other characteristics of the romantic hero include introspection, the triumph of the individual over the "restraints of theological and social conventions", wanderlust, melancholy, misanthropy, alienation, and isolation. However, another common trait of the Romantic hero is regret for his actions, and self-criticism, often leading to philanthropy, which stops the character from ending tragically. Tragedy and the Modern Man by Arthur Miller (American playwright) “The tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life, if need be, to secure one thing—his sense of personal dignity. The tale always reveals what has been called his “tragic flaw.” The flaw, or crack in the character, is really nothing—and need be nothing—but his inherent unwillingness to remain passive in the face of what he conceives to be a challenge to his dignity. But there are among us today, as there always have been, those who act against the scheme of things that degrades them, and in the process of action, everything we have accepted out of fear or insensitivity or ignorance is shaken before us and examined, and from this total onslaught by an individual against the seemingly stable cosmos surrounding us—from this total examination of the ‘unchangeable’environment—comes the terror and the fear that is classically associated with tragedy.” BOOK COVERS Chip Kidd doesn’t judge books by their cover, he creates covers that embody the book — and he does it with a wicked sense of humor. In one of the funniest talks from TED2012, he shows the art and deep thought of his cover designs. This talk is from The Design Studio session at TED2012, guest-curated by Chee Pearlman and David Rockwell. Francis Cugat’s painting for F. Scott Fitzgerald’sThe Great Gatsby is the most celebrated and widely disseminated jacket art in twentieth-century American literature, and perhaps of all time. After appearing on the first printing in 1925, it was revived more than a half-century later for the “Scribner Library” paperback edition in 1979; more than two decades (and several million copies) later it may be seen in classrooms of virtually every high school and college throughout the country. Like the novel it embellishes, this Art Deco tour-de-force has firmly established itself as a classic. AP EXAM An open question on the literature exam (as in Question 3) generally begins with a statement that identifies a theme or larger issue students will address: "Morally ambiguous characters—characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good—are at the heart of many works of literature." Question 3 Examples Choose a novel or play that depicts a conflict between a parent (or parental figure) and a son or daughter. Write an essay in which you analyze the sources of conflict and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid plot summary. "Morally ambiguous characters—characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good—are at the heart of many works of literature." Choose a novel or play in which the morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole. Avoid plot summary. The open question on the literature exam requires recollection and analysis of a literary work, and, like the close reading questions, asks students to balance two elements: (1) identification of a specific theme (e.g., moral ambiguity) or technique (e.g., social protest, minor characters) in one literary work, and (2) explanation of how that theme or technique contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. A student who identifies Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, for example, as a morally ambiguous character but fails to discuss her importance to the work as a whole is likely to receive a middling score, just as one that discusses moral ambiguity in general without analyzing a particular character. The essay response must balance both "how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous" and "why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole." Choose a novel or play in which a character deliberately deceives others. Write an essay in which you analyze the motives for the character's deception and how the deception contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid plot summary. The British novelist Fay Weldon offers this observation about happy endings. "The writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting response from their readers are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral development. By a happy ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events -- a marriage or a last minute rescue from death -- but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, even with the self, even at death." Choose a novel or play that has the kind of ending Weldon describes. In a well-written essay, identify the"spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation" evident in the ending and explain its significance in the work as a whole. Avoid plot summary.